World of the Lupi series
World of the Lupi series by Eileen Wilks. Genres and Sub-Genres Urban Fantasy / UF-PNR blend / Police Procedural *Note: Most reviewers and readers call this an Urban Fantasy but it's found on the Romance side of the aisle. Series Description or Overview ❖ Lily Yu faces the difficulty of being a female FBI agent in a male dominated world. She's also in a cross-cultural relationship....she's chinese and her lover is a werewolf. Add in a healthy dose of magic, demons and evil beings and Lily Yu is in a world of trouble! Eileen Wilkes has given us a series with well thought out mysteries to solve, characters to love and hate and action to pump the heart. ~ Fang Books ❖ Author Eileen Wilks draws readers into a bold new world where the magical and mundane co-exist in an uneasy alliance--and a cop balanced on her own knife-edged struggle is their only hope against a cold-blooded killer. ~ Shelfari ❖ A serious, somewhat dark character driven series that revolves around two main protagonists: Lily Yu and Rule Turner. Lily and Rule first met in Tempting Danger; a pragmatic human cop and a promiscuous werewolf prince destined to be together forever through a mystic bonding called the Chosen. Even though the premise is fantasy, the relationship between all the characters is brushed with realism. There is no instant HEA for anyone. They have to work to understand each other and the predicament that has been literally forced on them. ~ Smexy Books Themes The themes involve the differences between magic and spirit, persuasion and corruption, and free will and compulsion. Writing Style Even in glutted Shape-shifter market, the series still manages to seem fresh. Part of that is because the books have a solid real-world feel in terms of the dynamics of character relationships, Lily’s police job and the procedural elements in play, and the political machinations that take place and when the more fantastic elements are layered over that foundation, it makes for solid and relatable world-building. This series also manages to take my least favorite PNR thematic element–fated mates–and make it not just palatable but an integral and enjoyable part of the series. It helps that the characters act rationally about it and there’s no “I must treat you badly because I can’t resist you” dynamic in play. Structurally, the murder mystery is the primary focal point although Rule and Lily’s growing relationship adds a nice romantic element as well. ~ Series World of the Lupi Books in Series World of the Lupi series: # Tempting Danger (2004) # Mortal Danger (2005) # Blood Lines (2007) # Night Season (2008) # Mortal Sins (2009) # Blood Magic (2010) # Blood Challenge (2011) # Death Magic (2011) # Mortal Ties (2012) # Ritual Magic (Sept 2013) # Unbinding (Oct 7, 2014) # Mind Magic — (Nov 3, 2015) Shorts, Anthologies and Guides Bonus stories: eileenwilks.com LUPI SHORT STORIES *0.0. "The New Kid" free short story (September 2013) (Rule's youth, can be read at any point) * 0.5: "Only Human" in Lover Beware (2003) * 1.5: "Originally Human" in Cravings (2004) * 2.9: "Brownies" deleted scene from Blood Lines (2007) * 3.5: "Inhuman" in On the Prowl (2007) * 4.2 "Good Counsel" deleted scene from Night Season (2008) * 4.5: "Cyncerely Yours" free short story (January 2008) * 5.5: "Human Nature" in Inked (January 2010) * 8.5: "Human Error" in Tied with a Bow (November 2011) ~ Reading order list: Reading order for WotL books | eileenwilks.com World Building Fang-tastic Fiction: Eileen Wilks: WORLD OF THE LUPI Setting San Diego, various paranormal realms Places: * Wolfsgestalt, Nokolai, Wachmann, Club Hell, Farben, Bewegung, Haftbefehl, Clanhome, Aza, California, Washington DC, Texas, * Halo, North Carolina: Lily and Rule have come here to pick up Rule's son Toby who has been living with his maternal granddmother, and gain legal guardianship thru a court hearing before taking him back to Clanhome in California * San Diego, California: Rule belongs to the Nokolai Clan whose headquarters, Clanhome, are in the San Diego area Supernatural Elements Were-wolfs (Lupi), demons, Sidhe, ghost, evil goddesses, demons, rogue Lupi, Human First believers (cultists), Old Ones (evil, ancient female spirit), moonsong, magic, shaman, wiccan, mythology, mysticism, mantles, magic medallion, elementals, Brownies, evil ancient female spirit, magical staff, 'Glossary:' * Sensitive: A magically gifted person who can detect magic, but is not affected by the magic. * Finder: A magically gifted person who is able to find people by using magic. * Precog: A magically gifted person who has insight on what may happen in the future. * The Lady: a mystical construct who directs the fates of the Lupi and to whom they owe their existence. * Rho: Lady bestows an inner mantle of power on him that allows him to rule his clan without question. * Rhej: a magical healer to whom the Lady speaks directly. * Moonsong: sweeps through the Lupi each month—it's a wild, beautiful, musical energy that empowers them. * Lupus (plural Lupi): Preferred term for werewolves. * All-Clan: Periodic meeting of all Lupi. * Weird Latin words | Eileen Wilks Groups & Organizations: * Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): Responsibility for investigating and arrresting persons involved in federal crimes in the United States *'Unit 12—MCD, FBI': The FBI Magical Crimes Division which Lily works in * ERT: The FBI's Emergency Response Team, called to the scene of the crime to conduct investigations and preserve evidence * Clan Nokolai: The western Clan of werewolf, mostly located in California with headquarters in San Diego. Clan Nokolai has 'come out' to the public and Rule is called 'the Nokolai Prince' of the Werevolves by the tabloids * Clan Leidolf: The east coast Clan of werewolf. This Clan isstill a secret, unknown to exist by humans * Dawson County Sheriff's Department: Sheriff Deacon's County offices in Halo, North Carolina, the county seat World ❖ In this world, the supernaturals have come out to the human population, but many humans are quite distrustful and hostile towards them. Here's what life was like for the Lupi just a short time ago: "Twenty-two years ago, Nevada, Texas, Georgia, and Mississippi still had shoot-on-sight laws for Lupi who were in wolf form, though they were being challenged in court. Most other states still had laws on the books for locking up Lupi in either form, but by then the lockup was only until they could be turned over to the feds. The federal government was enthusiastically pursuing its more humane policy...: catch them, brand them, dose them with gado, then allow them to lead 'normal' lives. Gado weakens Lupi, depriving them of both strength and healing. It also blocks moonsong, preventing the Change. Lupi go crazy if deprived of the Change for too long." (Mortal Ties, p. 84) Set in San Diego and in various paranormal realms, the plots include battles against demons, evil goddesses, demons, rogue Lupi, and Humans First believers (led by one of the series' villains, Robert Friar). Some readers might consider the series to be pure urban fantasy, but, in my opinion, the action-related plot often gets usurped by the heavy focus on the romantic relationships, so I’m calling this urban fantasy (UF) with lots of soul-mate romance (SMR). ~ Fang-tastic Fiction ❖ The supernaturals have come out to the human population, but many humans are quite distrustful and hostile towards them. The werewolf mythology is a huge part of the series. The Lupi all believe that they are ultimately ruled by the Lady, a mystical construct who directs their fates and to whom they owe their existence. When a lupus achieves the position of Rho in a clan, the Lady bestows an inner mantle of power on him that allows him to rule his clan without question. Each clan has a Rhej, a magical healer to whom the Lady speaks directly. Another aspect of the mythology, is moonsong, which sweeps through the Lupi each month, but it's not the brutal shape-shifting force described in some werewolf series. Instead, it's a wild, beautiful, musical energy that empowers them. ~ more: Fang-tastic: World of the Lupi *Weird words | eileenwilks.com *Why werewolves? | eileenwilks.com Protagonists The protagonists of the series are FBI agent (Unit 12 of the Magical Crimes Division) Lily Yu and her Lupi (werewolf) soul mate, Rule Turner—prince and heir apparent of the Nokolai clan (and eventually Rho, or leader, of the rival Leidolf clan). Lily is a Touch Sensitive, which means that she can detect magic through touch, but she isn't affected by magic. She and Rule get together—very unwillingly—in book 1, when their bond clicks in and they can't fight their destiny. As it turns out, Lily is the first Chosen (i.e., soul mate) in centuries, so the bond between Rule and Lily is a big deal, both to the werewolves and to the human population, who don't really trust supernaturals of any kind. A major controversy in the series is Lily’s insistence on marriage to Rule, because marriage has been taboo for the werewolves for centuries. Werewolves mate for life, so they believe that the whole marriage thing is an unnecessary and unwanted human social contrivance. Both humans and werewolves act out their vehement opposition to the wedding. Lily and Rule's SMR story begins in book 1 and progresses throughout the series. Lily’s psychic abilities also build as the series moves along. Lily and Rule's bumpy road to romance has a lot of humor as both fight the bond but find that it is stronger than they are. Especially humorous are the scenes in which Lily tries to get away from Rule and finds that the bond won't let her. Books 3 and 4 add a second SMR story to the mix—that of Lupi sorcerer Cullen Seabourne and FBI agent and Finder Cynna Weaver. Other couples also get together in later books, but Lily and Rule remain the central focus. ~ Fang-tastic Fiction Book Cover Summaries ✤ BOOK ONE - Tempting Danger (2004): Lily Yu is a San Diego police detective investigating a series of grisly murders that appear to be the work of a werewolf. To hunt down the killer, she must infiltrate the clans. Only one man can help her--a were named Rule Turner, a prince of the lupi, whose charismatic presence disturbs Lily. Rule has his own reasons for helping the investigation--reasons he doesn't want to share with Lily. Logic and honor demand she keep her distance, but the attraction between them is immediate and devastating-and beyond human reason. Now, in a race to fend off evil, Lily finds herself in uncharted territory, tested as never before, and at her back a man who she's not sure she can trust. ~ eileenwilks.com ✤ BOOK TWO - Mortal Danger: Former cop Lily Yu has her sister's wedding to attend, a missing magical staff to find, and now must deal with her grandmother's decision to return to the old country. Lily could turn to the man she's involved with for advice, but for all the passion that flares between them, she doesn't really know Rule Turner--she's just bound to him for life. Rule happens to be a werewolf, and Lily wonders just how far she can trust him. ~ Goodreads | Mortal Danger (World of the Lupi, #2) ✤ BOOK THREE - Blood Lines: Touch-sensitive FBI agent Lily Yu and her werewolf bond-mate are recruited by the Secret Service to help identify elected officials who have accepted demonic pacts. But Lily must turn to fellow agent Cynna Weaver for help when Cynna's former teacher, a demon master, emerges as the main suspect behind the pacts. After a demon commits a gruesome murder, sorcerer Cullen Seabourne joins the team racing the clock to find the apprentice of evil who uses demons to kill. Cynna and Cullen must work together- a challenge indeed when each has good reason to ignore the desire simmering between them. But passion and events both spiral out of control as an ancient prophecy is fulfilled- and the lupi's greatest enemy sets her sights on total devastation. ~ Goodreads | Blood Lines (#3) ✤ BOOK FOUR - Night Season: Pregnancy has turned FBI Agent Cynna Weaver's whole life upside down. Lupus sorcerer Cullen Seabourne is thrilled to be a father, but what does Cynna know about kids? Her mother was a drunk and her father abandoned his family. Or so she's always believed. As Cynna is trying to wrap her head around this problem, a new one pops up in the form of a delegation from another realm. They want to take Cynna and Cullen back with them- to meet her long-lost father and find a mysterious medallion. But when these two born cynics land in a world where magic is common-place and night never ends, their only way home lies in tracking down the missing medallion- one also sought by powerful beings who will do anything to claim it. ~ Goodreads | Night Season (World of the Lupi, #4) ✤ BOOK FIVE - Mortal Sins: FBI agent Lily Yu is in North Carolina with her lover and mate, Rule Turner, Lu Nuncio of the Nokolai werewolf clan. He is there to take custody of his son from the boy's grandmother. It's a purely personal trip until Rule, in wolf form, finds three bodies in a shallow grave. They carry the stench of death magic, which makes the murders a federal crime. Lily takes charge of the investigation and soon realizes that nothing adds up- not the motives or the main suspect, who is behind bars when death strikes again. But murder, however bizarre, is an everyday affair for Lily, who was a homicide cop before being recruited into the FBI's Magical Crimes Division. A more personal shock arrives in the form of Rule's son's mother. Why would she now challenge Rule's plan to bring his son to live among the Nokolai? But family matters must take a backseat when the violence escalates, and there's no rhyme or reason for the next strike- by a killer who may not even be of this world. ~ Goodreads | Mortal Sins (#5) ✤ BOOK SIX - Blood Magic: Lily Yu and Lupi prince Rule Turner have a bigger problem than their families not accepting their impending human/werewolf mixed marriage. A powerful ancient nemesis of Lily's grandmother has come to San Diego to turn the city into a feeding ground. ~ Goodreads | Blood Magic (World of the Lupi, #6) by Eileen Wilks ✤ BOOK SEVEN - Blood Challenge: Lily Yu and Rule Turner’s engagement announcement is stirring up ugly passions in the Humans First camp. There’s hate mail. Death threats. Lily’s car is vandalized. But professionally, things are going smoothly...until a lupus in Tennessee goes on a killing spree. Then Rule's brother, Benedict, catches a lovely intruder--twice. The first time she's sneaking around the home of the leader of Humans First. The second time, she sneaks into Nokolai Clanhome with a mysterious potion. It may not be possible to deal with the rapidly escalating situation the way Lily always has: through the law. Especially when she’s pulled off the case due to an alleged conflict of interest. Lily’s loyalties will be stretched to the breaking point when she discovers that the deaths in Tennessee were only the opening skirmish in an all-out war. ~ Goodreads | Blood Challenge (World of the Lupi, #7) ✤ BOOK EIGHT - Death Magic: DEATH MAGIC opens with Special Agent Lily Yu in Washington, D.C. with her fiancé--lupi prince Rule Turner—to testify before a Senate subcommittee about her role in the magical collapse of a mountain last month. She is not there to tell them about the strange legacy she carries from that event—or about the arcane bond between her and Rule--or what her boss in Unit Twleve of the FBI’s Magical Crimes Division is really up to. She sure won’t tell them that the lupi are at war with an Old One who wants to remake humanity in her own image. Lily is managing the conflict between her duty as an officer of the law and the need for secrecy pretty well . . . until the rabidly anti-magic senator who chairs that committee is murdered. The line between right and wrong, always so clear to her, becomes hopelessly blurred as events catapult them all towards disaster, and prophecies of a cataclysmic end to the country she loves and serves--and to the entire race of lupi—seem well on their way to being fulfilled. ~ Goodreads | Death Magic (World of the Lupi, #8) by Eileen Wilks ✤ BOOK NINE - Mortal Ties: “''Eileen Wilks is a truly gifted writer,” (Romance Junkies) and her Novels of the Lupi have drawn readers into a seductive world of action, suspense, and passion. Now, FBI agent Lily Yu tracks a traitor into the darkest shadows yet''… FBI agent Lily Yu is living at Nokolai Clanhome with her fiancé, lupi Rule Turner, when an intruder penetrates their territory, stealing the prototpye of a magical device the clan hopes will be worth a fortune--if a few bugs can be worked out. But the protoytpe can be dangerously erratic, discharging a bizarre form of mind magic—and it looks like the thief wants it for that very side effect. Worse, whoever stole the device didn’t learn about it by accident. There’s a Nokolai traitor in their midst. Lily and Rule have to find the traitor, the thief, and the prototype. One job proves easy when the thief calls them—and his identity rocks Rule’s world. As they race to recover their missing property, they find Robert Friar’s sticky footprints all over the place. Robert Friar—killer, madman, and acolyte of the Old One the lupi are at war with--an Old One whose power is almost as vast as her ambition to rock the entire world. ~ Goodreads | Mortal Ties (World of the Lupi, #9) by Eileen Wilks ✤ BOOK TEN - Ritual Magic: In Eileen Wilks’s new Novel of the Lupi, FBI agent Lily Yu is about to confront a power even darker than magic… On her 57th birthday, Lily’s mother suddenly loses all memory beyond the age of twelve. Lily knows her mother was attacked by something more than magic. More . . . and darker. When Lily and Rule discover that others suffered the same, mysterious loss—at the same time on the same night—their investigation into the darkness begins. Joining them is someone Lily never thought she’d see again: Al Drummond, who once tried to destroy her. He also happens to be dead. But the mysterious attacks were caused by a power strong enough to affect matters beyond the world of the living. With some victims losing years of memory and others their lives, Lily must discover what on earth—or beyond—connects them. ~ Goodreads | Ritual Magic (World of the Lupi, #10) ✤ BOOK ELEVEN - Unbinding: In the newest Novel of the Lupi, the human and elven worlds are both about to come under attack… After questing through the sidhe realms with her ex-hellhound lover, Nathan, Kai Tallman Michalski has finally returned home. But she knows Nathan will eventually be called back to serve his queen—and Kai will have to decide whether to enter her majesty’s service as well. Sure, the job comes with great bennies, but there’s one big downside: she would have to swear absolute fealty to the Queen of Winter. For now, though, Kai is glad to be home, and glad that Nathan completed his mission for his queen with surprising ease. But what seemed to be a quick conclusion turns out to be anything but. The two of them helped thwart the sidhe god of chaos—and he is not happy about that. He’s got plans for them. Plans, too, for the sidhe who killed him some three millennia ago. Nor has he abandoned his plans for Earth, as they learn when chaos begins bursting out all over… ~ Goodreads | Unbinding (World of the Lupi, #11) ✤ BOOK TWELVE - Mind Magic (Nov 3, 2015): FBI agent Lily Yu’s mind is a dangerous place to be in the latest Novel of the Lupi… Thanks to the mindspeech lessons she’s receiving from the black dragon, Lily is temporarily benched from Unit Twelve—until her brain acclimates and the risk of total burnout passes. At least she has her new husband, lupi Rule Turner, to keep her occupied. But when her mentor calls in a favor and sends Lily to a murder scene, she’s suddenly back on active status—despite the hallucinations she can’t keep at bay. With one touch, Lily knows the man was killed by magic, but her senses don’t warn her how far the conspiracy goes… A shadowy force within the government wants to take Unit Twelve down, and they don’t mind killing to achieve their goal. With none of her usual resources, Lily is up against impossible odds–because with her mind in disarray, she can’t trust anything she sees. ✤ 'BOOK 13 - ': ✤ 'BOOK 14 - ': Category:Series